I was at the Liberty Science Center in Newark, NJ on field trip, watching a science demonstration on the cool things you could do with liquid nitrogen – shrink balloons, freeze balloons, make fog, etc. The science demonstrator called for volunteers – all of the boys raised their hands of course. Behind me, I could hear mother urgiwn her tween girl to get involved – “You’re our science girl,” the mom said, to which the girl promptly replied, “No I’m not – I don’t wear a pocket protector or a pants that are too tight and short.” So I get the pocket protector reference…though I don’t think they sell them anymore, that this girl, who probably thought all the experiments were cool and wanted to volunteer, held back because she didn’t want to be that horror of horrors, a girl geek.

So, young lady, to set your mind at rest, I introduce The Science Babe – proof that you can be way cool and be a girl geek. You can even wear high heels. Check out Dr. Debbie and her fascinating video on the Science of High Heels… and revel in the fact out, girl nerds, that being a science geek doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice anything else…

We’ve decided to award Sophie Epstein, creater of the Mrs. Magoo Reads blog the GirlMogul of the day. A blog dedicated to reviewing tween (aka young adult literature), Sophie has compiled an impressive reading list, ranging from the old – Jane Austen’s Emma to the new – Harry Potter. We admire her entrepreneurial spirit to in opening up the blog to author for promotional opportunities – she’s going for the Mrs Magoo Bump (much like the Colbert Bump). Good for you Sophie – we foresee many great things for you, Future Media Mogul. So be sure to check the Mrs. Magoo Reads blog and tell all of your friends.

Good News – Girls really are good in math. A new study refutes the talking Barbie claim that “Math class is hard.” Y showing that there is no gap between girls and boys when it comes to math. In a study funded by the National Science Foundation, It found that while 20 years ago boys scored better on math tests, that is no longer the case – they now perform equally.

The NY Times article “Math Scores show no Gap for Girls” goes on quote the co-author of the study ,Marcia C. Linn of the University of California, Berkeley,. “But people are surprised by these findings, which suggests to me that the stereotypes are still there.”

Girls are still underrepresented in high school physics classes (which require a decent level of math knowledge), as well as the professions, such as engineering that require math. Another author of the study, Janet Hyde, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, said: “The stereotype that boys do better at math is still held widely by teachers and parents.… I still hear anecdotes about guidance counselors steering girls away from engineering, telling them they won’t be able to do the math.”

So what does this mean – don’t assume that just because she’s girl, she can’t do math. And if she doesn’t like math or isn’t doing well, take a look at her classes and her teachers. Is there something going on in the classroom (like a biased teacher) discouraging her from doing well at math. Perhaps this might be an area to get a few enrichment classes – with someone or somewhere that is committed to girls and math, or do start doing some fun math drills at home. Even if she never wants to go onto a calculus, a solid foundation of math will serve her well in any analytic classes, better prepare her for financial freedom (no mortgage broker will snow her. Also, strengthening a math weakness to at least competency will give her more self-confidence in school in general – as well as help maintain her overall GPA.

Today we’re happy to feature a Real Life GirlMogul, Joelle Hinds-Ware, entrepreneur, engineer, wife and mother – who says you can’t ahve it all. Read on for her take on being a female engineer, balancing career and family and seizing an opportunity in the market to start her own business.

GirlMogul Adventures #1

Check out the GirlMogul's latest adventure. City girl Rose is stuck in MON - the Middle of Nowhere - for the whole entire summer. It's shaping up to the be the worst summer - ever! But then she finds an old diary - and before she knows it - discovers a secret that may change a town's entire history! Will she and her friends be able to save Hannah in time?